Going DEEP!

TheGolfChannel.com is focusing on distance this week. I can’t think of a better way to shine a spotlight on distance than to celebrate Michael Hoke Austin. Do you know of him?
 
Mike Austin holds the record for the longest drive hit on a standard golf course in sanctioned tournament competition. The total distance of the drive measured 515 yards. He accomplished this Herculean feat at the 1974 U.S. National Seniors Open Championship in Las Vegas, Nevada.
 

 
Before we get too involved in the record setting drive itself let me tell you a little about Mike Austin. I had the pleasure of meeting Mike many times during a period of my life when I lived in Los Angeles, California. I was hooked on golf. Actually, that’s the understatement of the last two decades. I was addicted to golf. On an almost daily basis I would make the drive over the hill from Santa Monica to the valley and the Studio City Golf and Tennis driving range. Back in those days – I’m going back 18 years or so – it was commonplace to see people like Sylvester Stallone, Andy Garcia, Jack Nicholson, Smokey Robinson and many other celebrities hitting golf balls off the mats at “Whitsett.” We called it Whitsett because it is located on Whitsett Avenue.
 
Truth be told, these entertainment luminaries played second fiddle to the main attraction – Mike Austin – who gave lessons at Whitsett daily. When they made Mike Austin they broke the mold. He was truly a one-of-a-kind character. If I had known then what I know now about Mike I would have spent every nickel I could lay my hands taking lessons from him. And for just $35 a half-hour. Man, I could just kick myself.